Accident Investigation

Accident investigation is defined as: “Making an examination, or inquiry of the cause of an accident”
The Elements used to determine the cause of an accident What, Who, Where, When, Why and How.
1. The Five (5) Primary Tasks are;
2. To gather information
3. Assemble and analyze the facts
4. Compare the information with acceptable standards and legal requirements to come to a conclusion
5. Write a report
6. Implement the recommendations and monitor its progress
Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2004. Part VIII, 51, 52 (1) (2) states;
a) If an inquiry is to be held, the purpose must be clearly stated i.e. “To determine the cause of the accident”.
b) A report of the inquiry must be made available to both the employer and the employee, i.e., is “discoverable” in the event of a claim.
c) If the inquiry is to resist a claim, this must be clearly stated and understood by all those involved, when notes and report could be “privileged”
Immediate Cause of an accidents is;
• What actually caused the accident?
Root Cause of an accident is;
• The action or activity that resulted in contact with the immediate cause.
The Procedure - The accident report is received to prompt the investigation to find the root cause, and proceeded with a site the visit.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this training, persons should be able to;
• To trace the cause of the accident (events or circumstances that led to the incident that caused the accident).
• To determine the cause so recurrence can be prevented.
• To get information for reporting to enforcing authority, statutory agencies in respect to benefits, and for insurance in respect to claims and settlements.
• Not to apportion blame, but to find the cause/s.